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Dirie was born into a nomadic family in 1965 in Galkayo, Somalia. At the age of thirteen, she fled to Mogadishu in order to escape an arranged marriage to a 60 year old man . There, she briefly lived with an older sister and her family. Dirie along with a few relatives later moved to London, where she resided with and worked for an uncle who had been appointed Somali ambassador. When his term in office ended, Waris remained in the city and held a job at a local McDonald's. She also began evening classes to learn English.[1][2]

In 1997, at the height of her modeling career, Dirie spoke for the first time with Laura Ziv of the women's magazine Marie Claire about the female genital mutilation (FGM) that she had undergone as a child,[1][2] at the age of three along with her two sisters.[3] That same year, Dirie became a UN ambassador for the abolition of FGM. She later paid her mother a visit in her native Somalia.[1][2]

In 1998, Dirie authored her first book, Desert Flower, an autobiography that went on to become an international bestseller.[1] She later released other successful books including Desert Dawn, Letter to My Mother and Desert Children, the latter of which was launched in tandem with a European campaign against FGM.

In March 2004, Dirie was attacked in her home in Vienna, Austria. Paulo Augusto, a 26-year-old Portuguese man, was held in custody after having apparently stalked her some 1,000 miles across Europe, eventually gaining access to her apartment by climbing through a neighbour's window. "She was so frightened and in shock that she let him in," a police spokesman said. Dirie apparently suffered minor injuries when her assailant threw her to the floor. The attacker then left in a taxi, only to return later on foot to smash one of the building's ground-floor windows. He was arrested when neighbours called the police,[8] and was later given a five-month suspended sentence by an Austrian court.[9] It was reported that the suspect had met Dirie six months earlier when his brother was working at her previous residence in Wales. He later broke into that home and stole items of her clothing.[10]

In another incident, during the early hours of Wednesday, March 5, 2008, Dirie went missing for three days while staying in Brussels, Belgium. She was found alive on Friday, March 7, 2008, by a Brussels policeman.[9]

Dirie briefly dated jazz musician Dana Murray. Their union produced a son, Aleeke.[11] Contrary to popular belief, Waris is not related to fellow Somali model Iman. In her book Desert Flower, Dirie states that Iman's mother was good friends with her aunt, a relative with whom Waris once lived during her time in London.

In March 2005, Dirie acquired Austrian citizenship.[12] Besides Vienna, she also lives in Gdańsk, Poland.[13]

In 1997, Dirie abandoned her modeling career to focus on her work against FGM. That same year, she was appointed the UN Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.[14][15] In 2002, she founded the Desert Flower Foundation in Vienna, Austria, an organization aimed at raising awareness regarding the dangers surrounding FGM. Waris followed that in January 2009 with the establishment of the PPR Foundation for Women’s Dignity and Rights’, an organization she founded along with French tycoon François-Henri Pinault (CEO of PPR) and his wife, Hollywood actress Salma Hayek.[16] Waris has also started the Desert Dawn Foundation, which raises money for schools and clinics in her native Somalia,[2] and supports the Zeitz Foundation, an organization focused on sustainable development and conservation.

Dirie has received many prizes and awards for her humanitarian work and books including:[2]